Believe it, fellas, you're the stars this time

The players had their video cameras out, shooting Raymond James Stadium as they descended on Tampa. The in-flight movie, Remember The Titans, had stirred their football emotions, and now the reality of the Super Bowl was right there out the window.

"We're about to land," Michael Strahan said, "and Jessie Armstead kicks me in the back of my seat and says, "Can you believe we're in the Super Bowl?' I just looked at him and smiled. It's pretty amazing. If you had told me eight weeks ago that we'd be here, I would have slapped you. Now I want to kiss you."

John Harper, New York Daily News

It takes Tooz to tango

During Super Bowl XV week in New Orleans, Oakland's John "Big Tooz" Matuszak (out of the University of Tampa) said to have announced that any of his teammates who thought they were going to party down on Bourbon Street would have to go through him.

Well, they would have had to go under him. Big Tooz was seen partying with several women on a balcony on Bourbon Street around 3 a.m. There was a small groundswell of indignation among writers looking for something, anything, to liven up the coverage, but if you have to call out the Oakland Raiders for aberrant behavior, you're really hurting for something to write.

Ron Green Sr., Charlotte Observer

This Diner will surely be closed

I think every video store in Baltimore will not have Diner on the shelves this week.

Terrific movie. I never realized until Sunday's excellent New York Times profile on Giants GM Ernie Accorsi that Accorsi actually helped write the questions that made up the quiz that guy in the movie gave to his wife before the wedding.

Peter King, CNNSI.com

Nothing compares to this, Ra

"I told him Pro Bowls and All-Pros are great," Sharpe said. "But you'll never experience anything like that last game when you're standing on the podium, they're dropping the confetti, everybody's rushing the field and they're playing We Are the Champions on the P.A

"You can go to 50 Pro Bowls. You can be player of the century. But how many times have you heard them say, "This guy's career wasn't complete because he never played in the big game'? It can take an average player and make him good, a good player and make him great, a great player and make him Hall of Fame."